Goal MLS Power Rankings: Week 18

1. Portland – Need another sign of the Timbers' growth? How about a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory in Frisco in midweek? Another forthcoming test for Caleb Porter and his players: Will Johnson's departure to play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. (1)

2. Real Salt Lake – Consider the Canadian hex well and truly dispelled. And with the temporary use of a 4-3-3 formation to boot. (3)

3. Montreal – Weird results happen from time to time. One home defeat isn't enough to prevent the Impact from maintaining its superiority over the rest of the Eastern Conference. (2)

4. FC Dallas – How will the impending absence of Blas Perez influence FCD over the next month or so? (4)

6. Philadelphia – How will the Union survive without Jack McInerney? And Keon Daniel, for that matter? (6)

7. New York – A professional display against Houston ended the recent skid and stopped the Red Bulls from sliding into a more protracted rut. (7)

8. Sporting Kansas City – The new pact for Graham Zusi provides Sporting with a firm foundation for the future. Now it is a matter of supplementing Zusi with the right pieces – and, admittedly, many of them are already in place – to fuel a MLS Cup push. (8)

9. Vancouver – So much for the scuttlebutt about Martin Rennie's future. The contentious 1-0 win at D.C. United moved the Whitecaps into fourth place in the Western Conference. (10)

10. Los Angeles – Bruce Arena will have a word or two with his players this week after the Galaxy threw away a result at San Jose. It is not the first time this seasoned group chucked away a glut of late goals. It better be the last, though. (9)

11. Colorado – Forget about trying to trace the origins of that dogged late victory at Montreal. Oscar Pareja and his players will take the points. (12)

12. New England – The disjointed 1-1 draw with Chivas USA did not offer much encouragement that this side can overcome the loss of Juan Agudelo (knee). (11)

13. Chicago – This weekend offers the right time for this in-form and rested Fire side to host a high-flying and potentially vulnerable San Jose side. (14)

14. Houston – First order of business for Dominic Kinnear: get all of his key pieces – including Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia – on the field at the same time. This tattered Dynamo side (winless in seven) needs its top players to pull out of its rut. (13)

15. Columbus – On another night and with perhaps a bit more luck, the injury-ravaged Crew might have nicked a point in Kansas City, Kan. (15)

16. San Jose – Is the stunning late show at Stanford Stadium the spark required to turn the Earthquakes' season? It will take more than one performance on a large stage to push this team back toward the playoffs. (16)

17. Toronto FC – Perhaps Ryan Nelsen should focus more on extracting results and less on the player selection policies of the Canadian Soccer Association. (17)

18. D.C. United – Ben Olsen's epic rant may have attracted some attention over the weekend, but it did not distract from yet another defeat. (18)

19. Chivas USA – Carlos Bocanegra lends some credibility to the flailing Red-and-White project. Whether his presence in central defense constitutes enough of an upgrade to inspire a turnaround remains an open question. (19)